Council rejects $41.1M in bonds for treatment plant

MARLBOROUGH - City Councilors last night shot down $41.1 million in bonds to fund a federally mandated improvement to the westerly wastewater treatment plant.

Galen Moore/Daily News staff

City Councilors last night shot down $41.1 million in bonds to fund a federally mandated improvement to the westerly wastewater treatment plant.

Councilors objected to approving the loan without knowing the project's design or other details. Mayor Nancy E. Stevens had asked for approval last night to lock in a federal low-interest loan program in time for a June 30 deadline.

The city must build a new plant capable of meeting revised federal limits on contaminants in the treated sewage it discharges. The new plant is also expected to be capable of handling a larger volume of sewage, allowing new developments to tie into Marlborough's sewer system.

The council's denial will not delay the building schedule, set to begin in 2008, but the city will have to reapply for the low-interest federal loan, with uncertain results. This year's low-interest loan program would have offered 2 percent interest rates, as opposed to the 4.5 percent the city is likely to get on the open market.

"I'm very concerned about approving the largest bond we've ever approved in this city without having any information in front of us," said Council President Arthur Vigeant.

The council would have lost any say in the design process had it approved the loan.

"This is a leap of faith," Vigeant said.

Stevens said the city can apply for the low-interest loan next year, but there is no guarantee it will be approved for the program again, or that the interest rate offered will be as good as this year's.

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